Becker Morgan school earns international accolades

Somerset County Technical High School, designed by Newark-based architecture firm Becker Morgan Group, was recently recognized by a leading industry publication. | PHOTO COURTESY OF BECKER MORGAN GROUP

NEWARK – Becker Morgan Group’s Somerset County Technical High School (SCTHS) caught the attention of The Plan, one of the most acclaimed architecture and design review publications.

The Plan named Somerset County Technical High School a finalist in its international design awards amongst the over 600 submitted projects.

The state-of-the-art technical high school is designed to prepare students for the workforce.

“Somerset County Technical High School prepares our students with trade skillsets and hands-on training to use immediately upon graduation with a state-of-the-art facility and enhanced curriculums,” said Somerset County Director of Economic Development Daniel Thompson in a statement. “The Somerset County Technical High School was designed to allow students to enter the workforce with above-average wages in the immediate area (Somerset County) and be better prepared for future opportunities.”

Somerset County Public Schools used the term “doing more with less” throughout the design and building process to push the team to think critically about each decision and responsibly steward the allocated budget. Newark-based Becker Morgan Group took the phrase to heart and responded with a facility that wore multiple hats. Not only does the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and wiring play a significant role in the operations of the building, but it is also used as a teaching tool and putting those systems on display for students to learn from. A green roof reduces the heat island effect of the building while serving as an outdoor lab for horticulture students. Large windows into each learning lab transform the hallway into a museum of trades and instills pride into the students work.